FAU Foundation Announces Mariko Mori’s Peace Crystal
The nature-focused nonprofit Pfau Foundation Mariko Moriwill present Peace Crystal, a major installation by the Japanese artist, in the gardens of Palazzo Corner della Ca’ Granda in Venice, Italy. Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, Peace Crystal symbolizes the body as a vessel for the soul, which undergoes an eternal cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The crystal is balanced at its narrowest point on a height of 167.5cm (5 feet 6 inches), the average height of a modern human. This represents the moment when humans evolved to an upright posture. Mori believes this development was essential for the growth of intelligence and spirituality, and that humans became capable of receiving energy from both heaven and earth. “I believe spirituality is a catalyst for evolution.” Mori tells Design Boom.
Through the Peace Crystals, Mori invites us to think about world peace and the commonality of humanity. The installation will run until October, after which it will be permanently installed in a cave in Ethiopia. “Ideally, we’re looking for caves near major cities with large openings for peace crystals and natural openings for sunlight to filter in.” Mori explains. For more information on Peace Crystals, their significance and their future in Ethiopia, check out the full issue on Design Boom. interview Below is Mariko Mori.
Exterior of the Peace Crystal installation | All photos by Marta Buso, courtesy of the FAU Foundation
Interview with Mariko Mori
designboom (DB): can you elaborate on how Buddhist philosophy influenced the concept of Peace Crystal?
Mariko Mori (hereinafter referred to as MM): The spectral sphere at the center of the Peace Crystal symbolizes the eternal soul, which in Buddhist philosophy represents the belief in reincarnation – that while all living things go through a cycle of life, death and rebirth, the soul is eternal.
DB: The work balances evolutionary biology and spirituality, two concepts that don’t always easily coexist. In your view, where does humanity stand today in terms of this coexistence?
Hmm: I believe that humans have developed intelligence and spirituality as we have evolved. This is evident because spirituality is a universal theme for humanity and has historically underpinned human creativity in innovation and continues to do so today. In essence, I would say spirituality has been a catalyst for evolution.
Mariko Mori outside her Peace Crystal installation
DB: Tell us about your design process for Peace Crystal. What materials and techniques were used?
Hmm: Peace Crystal is made from crystal glass using glass casting techniques developed since Roman times. By using pure materials, crystal glass has high transparency and a prismatic effect. Furthermore, the spherical centrepiece of the piece is solid glass coated with a dichroic finish by vacuum deposition. Peace Crystal was developed from a vision I had. I worked with studio architect Stuart Hagan, glass structural engineers and glass manufacturers who translated my vision into a 3D model to understand the technical possibilities.
“I believe that human beings have developed their intelligence and spirituality along with evolution,” Mori told Design Boom.
DB: Can you tell us more about the Pfau Foundation and its mission?
Hmm: The Faou Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of Earth’s natural treasures and promotes the idea that humanity and nature are of equal value through permanent public art installations and related community-based education programs.
Through his donations of artworks, FAU continues a sacred and primal tradition of respecting nature. Each piece stands as a symbol of awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s diverse ecosystems. Together, they show how the world’s most amazingly different places are interconnected.
The use of pure materials gives crystal glass a high degree of transparency and a prismatic effect.
DB: Can you talk a bit about the process of working with local communities and ecological environments to create your installation works?
Hmm: The FAU Foundation has steadily built a series of ambitious installations in unique ecological environments around the world, on each of the six habitable continents. These installations provide a lasting testimony to the natural beauty that surrounds them.
Our permanent artworks promote a deeper understanding of the connection between humanity and the natural environment, promoting the conservation of local ecosystems and the involvement of the communities in which each artwork is installed. The sites are specifically chosen based on their indigenous customs, culture and history as well as their pure natural environment. We engage and collaborate closely with local communities in the creation, installation and activation of our artworks. Local communities seem to take great pride in having public artworks.
